Burberry: The Trench Coat, the Check and the Crown

Few names feel as instantly, recognisably British as Burberry. The honey-coloured trench coat, the camel-and-red check, the little equestrian knight charging forward beneath a single Latin word: each is a piece of national shorthand, understood from Knightsbridge to Tokyo. Yet behind the catwalks and the flagship on Regent Street sits something rather more practical: a young draper’s quiet obsession with keeping the British weather firmly outdoors.

Burberry is, at heart, a story of invention as much as fashion. Before it dressed film stars and royalty, it solved a problem that every Briton understands: how to stay dry, warm and able to move, whatever the sky decides to do. That spirit of useful, hard-wearing elegance has carried the house through more than a century and a half, and it is the reason the Crown has, time and again, lent it the highest endorsement in the land.

This is the tale of how a Hampshire shop became a global emblem of British style, and how the trench, the check and a clutch of royal warrants came to belong to the same remarkable name.

A Hampshire shop and a young man with an idea

The house begins in 1856, when a 21-year-old former draper’s apprentice named Thomas Burberry opened his own outfitting shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire. He was barely more than a boy, but he had a draper’s eye for cloth and a countryman’s understanding of what working people actually needed: garments that could face mud, rain and a long day outdoors without falling apart.

That instinct shaped everything. Rather than chasing fashionable London tailoring, Burberry concentrated on outerwear built for the realities of British life, for sportsmen, farmers, soldiers and anyone whose day was governed by the weather. It was an unglamorous starting point, and a brilliant one. By focusing on function first, Burberry built a reputation for clothing that could be trusted, and trust, in time, became the foundation of a luxury name. From a single provincial shop, the business would grow into one of the most enduring houses Britain has produced.

Gabardine: the cloth that changed outerwear

Burberry’s great breakthrough was not a coat at all, but a cloth. In 1879 he introduced gabardine, a tightly woven, hard-wearing fabric that was water-resistant yet breathable, a genuine novelty in an age when staying dry usually meant being wrapped in heavy, airless rubberised cloth. His clever trick was to waterproof the yarn before weaving, so the finished material shed rain while still letting the body breathe. The innovation was significant enough to be patented in 1888.

The effect on outerwear was transformative. Suddenly a coat could be both weatherproof and wearable, light enough to walk, ride or climb in. Gabardine carried explorers and adventurers into some of the harshest places on earth and clothed those who simply wanted to cross a wet British high street in comfort. It is no exaggeration to say that the modern raincoat owes much to this one Hampshire invention, and gabardine remains, to this day, woven into the identity of the brand.

The coat that came home from the trenches

If gabardine was the material, the trench coat was its masterpiece. Around the turn of the twentieth century Burberry was approached to design weatherproof coats for military officers, and the result was refined through service into the garment we now know by name. Built in gabardine, it was practical to its core: epaulettes to carry rank insignia, D-rings on the belt for kit, a storm shield across the shoulders to throw off rain, deep pockets and a generous back yoke for movement.

It was, quite literally, a coat shaped by war, and its name records the trenches of the First World War, where it kept officers dry through some of the bleakest conditions imaginable. What is most charming is what happened next. When the war ended, the men who had worn it did not want to give it up, and the trench coat marched straight into civilian wardrobes. A piece of military kit became a wardrobe staple, then a timeless classic, and finally a true icon of British design. More than a hundred years on, its silhouette has barely changed, proof that good design, done once, can last for generations.

A check that conquered the world

Some of the most famous things begin quietly, and the Burberry check is a perfect example. It first appeared not as a bold statement but as a lining, tucked discreetly inside the trench coat from at least the 1920s. Its now-familiar combination, warm camel, crossed with black, white and red, was simply a handsome interior detail, glimpsed only when a coat fell open.

In time, that hidden pattern stepped into the light. The check migrated from lining to scarf, then to umbrellas, luggage, cashmere and eventually the catwalk, becoming one of the most recognised patterns anywhere on earth. Today it functions almost as a flag: a few squares of camel and red and the eye says British before the mind has caught up. Few brands can claim a motif so widely understood, and fewer still can trace it back to something as modest as the inside of a raincoat. It is a lovely reminder that heritage often hides in the lining, waiting to be discovered.

The knight who charges forward

Burberry also gave Britain one of its most spirited emblems. In 1901 the house adopted its Equestrian Knight, an armoured rider, lance raised, charging forward beneath a banner bearing the Latin word “Prorsum”, meaning forwards. The logo was registered as a trademark in 1909, and its message could hardly be clearer: a brand built on progress, movement and the confidence to press on.

There is something fitting in choosing a knight to represent a maker of protective, weatherproof clothing. The armour echoes the idea of a garment that shields its wearer; the forward motion mirrors a coat made for action rather than display. Across the decades the knight has been refreshed, retired and revived as fashions changed, but the sentiment behind it has held firm. It speaks to the same quality that runs through the gabardine, the trench and the check: a very British blend of practicality and quiet ambition, dressed up in heraldic style and sent cantering into the future.

By appointment to the Crown

A house this woven into British life was always likely to catch a royal eye, and it did. Burberry’s connection to the Crown runs across reigns: it received an early royal warrant from King George V as a tailor, and later held a warrant from Queen Elizabeth II as a weatherproofer, with a further warrant granted by the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, as an outfitter. To dress the monarch against the British weather is, after all, a very Burberry sort of honour.

Royal warrants are reviewed when the throne passes, and on his accession King Charles III undertook the customary review of holders inherited from the late Queen. As part of that process, announced in 2024, Burberry was confirmed among the heritage names to retain its royal warrant under the new reign. It is best understood as the Crown’s usual careful housekeeping rather than any drama: a fresh endorsement, properly considered, of a brand that has earned royal trust over generations. To carry the warrant today is to stand in a long and distinguished line.

A great British name, beautifully weathered

What makes Burberry endure is that its glamour was always grounded in something useful. The trench coat still does its job in the rain; the gabardine still breathes; the check still signals home from the other side of the world. Trends come and go, creative directors arrive and depart, but the essential idea, beautiful clothing that actually protects you, has never gone out of fashion, because the British weather has never gone away.

From a single shop in Basingstoke to flagships across the globe, with the Crown’s approval threaded through its history, Burberry remains one of the great storytellers of British style. It is heritage you can wear, and wear well, whatever the forecast. Browse our Royal Warrant Brands stories to meet more of the great British names that have earned the Crown’s approval.

Frequently asked questions

When was Burberry founded?

Burberry was founded in 1856, when the 21-year-old former draper’s apprentice Thomas Burberry opened his outfitting shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire. From that single provincial store the business grew into one of Britain’s most celebrated heritage houses.

What is gabardine, and why did it matter?

Gabardine is a tightly woven, water-resistant yet breathable cloth that Thomas Burberry introduced in 1879 and patented in 1888. By waterproofing the yarn before weaving, he created a material that shed rain while still letting the body breathe: a genuine revolution in outerwear at the time.

Did Burberry invent the trench coat?

Burberry developed and refined the trench coat from weatherproof military coats designed for officers around the turn of the twentieth century. The garment took its name from the trenches of the First World War and crossed into civilian wardrobes once the war ended, where it has remained a classic ever since.

When did the Burberry check first appear?

The Burberry check has been in use since at least the 1920s, when it first appeared as a discreet lining inside the trench coat. Its camel, black, white and red pattern later moved from lining to scarves, accessories and the catwalk to become one of the world’s most recognisable designs.

What does the Burberry knight logo mean?

The Equestrian Knight, adopted in 1901 and registered as a trademark in 1909, depicts an armoured rider charging forward beneath the Latin word “Prorsum”, meaning forwards. It signals a brand built on protection, progress and forward motion.

Does Burberry hold a royal warrant?

Yes. Burberry has held royal warrants across reigns, including from King George V as a tailor, Queen Elizabeth II as a weatherproofer and the then Prince of Wales as an outfitter. It was confirmed among the heritage names to retain its royal warrant under King Charles III, announced in 2024.

Why is Burberry considered so quintessentially British?

Burberry combines invention, weather-readiness and understated elegance, qualities deeply tied to British life. The gabardine cloth, the trench coat, the famous check and the Crown’s long endorsement together make it one of the country’s most enduring symbols of style.

Sources: Burberry corporate and brand heritage pages (burberryplc.com, burberry.com); Wikipedia entries on Burberry and Thomas Burberry; and press reporting on King Charles III’s 2024 royal warrant review (TheIndustry.fashion, FashionNetwork, Country & Town House). Royal warrant holder status is reviewed periodically and can change; details are correct as of 2026.